Each February we depart the frozen tundra that is Boston for a week of southern Florida fun in sun. Before each trip I browse southern Florida craigslist in hope of finding a gem, that rust-free-but-with-faded-paint-obscure-limited-edition-something-that-is-being-sold-by-a-widow-of-man-who-worshiped-it, for pennies on a dollar. So far I have not found such thing, but I did find a Viper race car, and who wouldn’t want a Viper race car, right?

This Historically significant prototype race car was fully engineered and built through a partnership with Chrysler Corporation from 2000-2001 using a new 1998 chassis. After successful testing for proof of concept, Dodge executives decided take the program in house and soon after released the Viper Competition Coupe.

Eventually this prototype was sold to Richard Berry, heir to the Yellow Pages dynasty, where it was stored in climate controlled storage; reportedly unused, from 2002 — 2014. During 2014 the car was mechanically checked out, shod with a new set of Hoosier slicks, and run by the current owner for one track day at Homestead Miami Speedway.

Offered at only $48,000. Offers and partial trades will be considered.

Email, call or text (772) NINE 13-FOUR 121 for more info.

VEHICLE DETAILS:

Built by Roy Sjoberg, Viper program chief engineer of Chrysler Corporation, this 1998 Dodge Viper R/T coupe was fully race-prepared for the Viper Days Racing Series. The Viper’s 8.0L/450 HP V-10 engine is blueprinted to withstand the rigors of endurance racing, and connected to the 6-speed manual transmission with a heavy duty Tilton clutch assembly. The ultra-lightweight body incorporates ALMS-spec panels, spoilers and windshield and an SCCA-approved roll cage with extensive chassis bracing. Brembo racing disc brakes are used at all four corners behind 3-piece alloy wheels wearing Hoosier race rubber for maximum grip and stopping power. The cockpit features full driver safety and controls, including engine electronic controls with computer interface. Serial number 1B3ER65E7WV400458, this competition Viper will be sold on bill of sale.

Very few cars in the history of the American automobile have captured the imagination of car enthusiasts like the Dodge Viper. What started as an outrageous concept muscle car at the 1989 North American International Auto Show in Detroit led to a bold corporate experiment, with a street-legal production car readied in just 32 months. A factory-backed racing effort soon followed, which led to the GT-2 Le Mans and FIA Championships and the Championship in the American Le Mans Series.
“The goal was to make the fastest vehicle on the planet,” said Roy H. Sjoberg, automotive innovator and developer of the Dodge Viper, a sleek muscle car capable of going from zero to 100 miles per hour, and back to zero, in about 13 seconds. Known in the car world as Father Viper, Sjoberg was named to head up the Dodge Viper Project team in 1989.

Sports Car racing was in his blood since the mid 1950s when he pit crewed for his brother’s 356 Porsche at such venues as Lockport, Watkins Glen, and Elkhart Lake. This developed into SCCA car preparation and race driving, including an IMSA stint at Mosport. One of Sjoberg’s most memorable activities was the three years he spent as development manager for his long-time friend, Zora Arkus-Duntov, the father of the Corvette, and the man who nicknamed Sjoberg “Father Viper.”

Viper Racing was always an intent of the team with the production design durability tested at Nelson Ledges, where experience had taught that this circuit was a 24 hour “challenge” to any and all vehicle components (including drivers, with the minimal facilities). With the FIA redefinition of GT-1 to production vehicles only, the team committed to the 1996 Le Mans and enlisted the Canadian racing team of Canaska and the French racing team of Oreca. In late spring of 1996, the FIA reinterpreted the rules to allow the new Porsche prototype car to enter GT-1, with its resulting win. Viper placed 10th overall and established its endurance racing metal with all four vehicles completing the 24 hours. In 1997, with the vehicle reclassified to GT-2, the Oreca team placed first and second and initiated several years of dominance in both Europe and the U.S.

Upon retirement, Sjoberg decided to build the then GT-3 class Viper that had been designed at Dodge to take on the Porsche dominance in production sports car racing, but was never built due to budget constraints. The vehicle design is basically a GT-2 vehicle built with the production chassis and engine requirements designed to meet the FIA definition. Some examples are: suspension points must be within a +/- 20mm from production mounting and the use of a production engine induction system. As the GT-2 racecar was built with enhanced production components, many of these systems could be incorporated into this vehicle. The vehicle is a “ground up” build to the specifications noted in the brochure and incorporates some specific structural GrandAm requirements. Upon completion, the vehicle was raced at several Viper Challenge venues for development purposes.

While many SCCA/IMSA race cars are home-built in private garages by well meaning amateurs using mail-order performance parts, this car which was actually designed, engineered and built by the ex-factory Chief Engineer for the entire project. No questionable engineering details, haphazard workmanship or incorrect parts will be found on this fabulous yellow Viper “GT-3” Roadster.

Considering that this car would cost over $150,000 to duplicate, a purchase within $70,000 – $75,000 estimated value would make good sense to a Viper enthusiast. It is race ready and suitable for serious Pro Racing in the Grand-Am Cup Series, SCCA Amateur Events, Autocross, and ever popular Track Days. Additionally, if you do not mind showing off a bit, what a fine entry this would be for Viper Club Track Events!

It shouldn’t be all that tough to keep the car going, either. It’s basically a fully race-prepared very low time production GT-2, so the components won’t be nearly as fragile as the pure-competition stuff. The engine is advertised at 525 hp, blueprinted to “endurance race specifications.” This sounds very cool, but what it’s really saying is that neither engine nor drive train is particularly stressed in this configuration. (Stock output is 460 hp.) This is exactly what you want to hear if you’re using the car as a track toy. With some care you could probably run 60-70 hours between rebuilds. Trust me, that’s a lot of laps!

For considerably less than $48,000, if anyone wants a Teilhol Citadine, or a KV Mini 1, or a Velorex 453-0 (not to be confused with the much more common Velorex three-wheelers), or a Veloto BL, or a Microcar RJ, or some sort of BMW, here you go: